Just a quick note; but "sugar in general" contains fructose. Given that you're talking about simple sugars.
You're right though, it probably would've been more helpful for me to say carbohydrates in general.
sucrose = glucose + fructose - water
lactose = glucose + galactose - water
maltose = glucose + glucose - water
Based on this study, I would guess that replacing all HFCS with an equivalent-sweetness amount of regular corn syrup (all glucose) would immediately result in significant improvements to the public health, even though the sweetened products would have more calories per serving.